Providing solid information on the Green Bay Packers

Packers Preseason: Kansas City Chiefs

-Brady VanDeurzen

Things to look for:

Solid play from second and third team players will be one of the most noticeable aspects in Thursday’s preseason game against the Chiefs.

As the final preseason game, it is the last opportunity for many bubble players to prove their worth. Intensified play should be expected from positions that the Packers possess an abundance in. Positions like OLB and WR are just a few of the positions that the Packers have an extensive amount of players at; consequently resulting in plenty of positional battles, which are always an intriguing draw.

Hands down, the largest draw of Thursday’s game will be the integration of newly acquired punter Jacob Schum. After a head-scratching move earlier this week, which ultimately flipped the Packer’s special teams outlook completely, the Packers are once again fresh at the punter position.

All eyes will be on Schum during his debut for the Packers, it will be intriguing to see how his stats compare to that of Mortell and Masthay. If his stats are not up to par with both Mortell and Masthay it will be interesting to see what moves are made next.

In regards to the punting game, the Packers are very unlikely to go for any fourth and short scenarios, expect to see either a punt or field goal in these situations, in order to better adapt the special teams unit.

The Packers win on Thursday if…

The Packers have been prosperous thus far in the preseason, thanks to solid depth on both sides of the ball. To win against the Chiefs the Packers offensive line must hold off a sturdy pass rush from the Chiefs. Although Justin Houston, the Chief’s primary pass-rusher, is on the PUP list, the Chiefs will still find plenty of ways to get to the QB. Players like Don Barclay and Jason Spriggs will have to step up in Thursday’s game in order to keep the Packer’s QB bunch upright.

To avoid the Chiefs pass rush, the Packers will win Thursday’s game if they counter the rush with a strong running game. Players like James Starks and Brandon Burks will have to perform very well in the game in order for the Packers to have a productive offense. If the Packers can maintain a strong running game against the Chiefs then the Packers will be a hard team to stop on Thursday.